Public Liability Insurance for Dogs (Seguro de Responsabilidad Civil)

By Mark Woodward - Tue 21st Aug 2012

Tumbit Approved Partner

As you have probably seen from other parts of this website there is a considerable amount of concern from pet owners as they try to ascertain if they require liability cover for the breed of dog they own.

The breeds of dog that are required to have public liability cover in Spain are as follows :

* American Staffordshire Terrier

* Boxer

* Pit Bull Terrier

* Bullmastiff

* Doberman

* Dogo Argentino

* Dogue de Bordeaux

* Tibetan Mastiff

* Fila Breasileiro

* Neapolitan Mastiff

* Presa Canario

* Perro de Presa

* Mallorquin

* Rottweiler

* Staffordshire Bull Terrier

* Tosa Inu

* Akita Inu

* Any cross breed of the above

* Any dog weighing 20kg or over

Also : Any animal that although it does not belong to one of the breeds above, has a markedly aggressive nature or has attacked either another animal or person in the past.

If you are at all unsure we would recommend a visit to local vet to obtain professional advice.

Police are currently running a spot check campaign to ensure that all dogs are chipped, using a hand held scanner and an on the spot fine is payable. We envisage that this will soon be extended to ensure the animal also has the correct liability cover as well.

Cover is relatively inexpensive so it may be wise to cover your pet regardless of breed, especially as we now live in a society where all accidents however minor seem to result in court cases.

Cover is available for 150000€ liability from as little as 50€ per year for a non dangerous dog.

We can also provide a policy to cover guard and security dogs regardless of breed.

For more information please contact us via our insurance page on this site. As each policy is specific to a certain breed it is likely that we will need for you to supply a few basic details by phone or email to ensure the quote you are given is correct.

Comment on this Blog

I have a staff and a presa. That are coming over in the next 2 months. They have there jabs and passports. How much is the public liabity for these dogs. Thanks

Stephen - Sun, 21st May 2017

I have a 1 yr old male stafffordshire bull terrier and am a non resident in almoradi Spain so I am looking for public liability insurance for 150000 euro he has no record of any problems and I will be taking him to the town hall for registration when I have all the necessary paperwork.
Many thanks.

Karen Cave - Tue, 7th Jun 2016

Mr Grumpy, I do actually think, regrettably, that your RR would fall under the banner of dangerous dogs even though the breed is not on the list of Annex 1 as it would meet many of the listed criteria for Annex 2. Some of these are chest circumference between 60 & 80 cm, height at withers 50 to 70 cm and then comes the notorious AND weighing over 20 kg (but those other characteristics have to be met not just the over 20 kg. Some of the other things called for are strong musculature, powerful and robust appearance, athletic constitution etc AND short hair. As my OES has none of the above and long hair, once I read the whole law I felt we were quite ok.

Alex Little - Wed, 31st Oct 2012

Alex, I had similar problems with my Rhodesian Ridgeback (44 kgs) and so took him to the Ayuntamiento for advice as to whether they deemed him to be Dangerous Dog, and whether he therefore needed a special licence. They told me no - however I would not be prepared to stick my neck out and say that that this would be the case in other areas and whether this was correct within the letter of the law. As with so many other areas of Spanish Law, many of those in authority are themselves unaware of how to understand and interpretate the law. I wrote of my experience in a Blog post >> HERE <<

Mr Grumpy - Wed, 31st Oct 2012

Thanks for the amendment BUT it is only dogs weighing 20kg or over with the characteristics or similarities in looks to the listed dangerous dogs that require the public liability insurance. Not ALL dogs who weigh over 20 kg. When I first looked at your list I thought my Old English Sheepdog at over 30 kg would come under this and she doesn't.

Alex Little - Wed, 31st Oct 2012

I stand corrected - the weight limit is 20kgs and have asked for the above to be amended accordingly.

Mark Woodward - Wed, 31st Oct 2012

Surely your criteria above is incorrect for requiring public liability insurance as you have on the list : any dog weighing 25 kg or over. This is misleading according to the translations I have read of the Spanish law 50/1999. Can you identify which (if any) provinces have the above 25 kg weight as a regulation.

Alex Little - Wed, 31st Oct 2012

Thanks for the info. I now find that the law relating to this is 50/1999 of 23 December and refers to Annex 1 for the listed breeds -Pit Bulls etc and Annex 2 for similar non-listed types and the 20kg only comes into play as you say if the dog has the required neck circumference, height etc. Also it mentions short hair and OES are long haired. So should be ok

Alex Little - Wed, 31st Oct 2012

The law in Spain regarding dogs varies slightly depending on the province you live in. Other than the previously mentioned cross breeds with the above other things are considered. Weight over 20kg, chest circumference of between 60 & 80 cm, large head with a short neck, strong muscles and large jaw with a deep mouth. For clarification you should be able to get additional information from your municipal town hall.

Mark Woodward - Tue, 30th Oct 2012

As I understand the Spanish law only those dogs over 20 kg who also have MANY or ALL of the features described for dogs not included in the actual dangerous dogs list would be required to be insured. I am asking my multiple dog owning Spanish friend who has wonderful English to clarify this. We own Old English Sheepdogs.